About Counselling

So how does counselling help you feel better? The short answer is counselling facilitates growth and change.

The longer answer is by building a trusting therapeutic relationship where you are listened to with real understanding and true empathy facilitates personal growth and change. Building trust with your counsellor is the single most important factor and one that directly influences the outcome, so it’s important to take your time choosing a counsellor with whom you feel comfortable.

You may not feel you have changed or even want to change but growth takes place all our lives and forms the foundation of how we interact and experience people and the world around us. Counselling helps you understand yourself better and separate things out into smaller, more manageable parts so your life becomes more harmonious.

Working with a counsellor gives you the opportunity to explore difficulties you are facing right now or aspects of your past which affect your present. You can gain a different perspective, find a deeper understanding of your emotions which can ease the distress and unhappiness you feel.

People are often afraid to look back and this is natural, because they fear it will be painful. When you are supported in a therapeutic relationship with someone who understands your experiences from your own unique perspective it’s worth remembering that looking back as the person you are now will mean what you experienced as painful then will actually be different. Naturally, you cannot change your past experiences but counselling can help you change the way you feel about the circumstances now.

So how is counselling different from talking to a friend or relative?

Friends and relatives are well meaning but inevitably see your situation from their view and experience of life as this is a natural way for them to respond to you in their efforts to help. Working with a qualified, experienced professional you can be assured their theoretical knowledge will help you navigate through your difficulties without imposing their life experience onto yours.

People can sometimes live their lives outside in and are deeply affected by the way they are received in the world. This can be upsetting and hurtful. Counselling can help you live your life inside out so you can project your sense of self, your values and your unique way of being into the world. Many people find counselling a healing and fulfilling experience leading to greater clarity and enrichment.